


Deluge

by Party Poison (Pretty_Odd)



Category: Original Work
Genre: AU - Futuristic, F/M, space
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 09:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24468844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pretty_Odd/pseuds/Party%20Poison
Summary: Tensions rise on the far away planet that never stops raining. And one girl, who doesn’t know who she is or how she got there is caught in the middle of it.~A story based on a set of dreams I had.





	Deluge

A dream. That’s what it felt like when I woke up. Everything seemed out of place; why does my room have strange twisting vines growing from cracks in the roof? Why are the walls cold and silver? Why is water constantly dripping on my face? I clumsily brush the raindrops off of me... wait, rain? 

Confused, I try to blink away the blurriness that comes with sleep. There’s a shape in front of me; a shadow but I can’t quite make out what it is. My hand seems to have a mind of it’s own as I subconsciously reach out to touch the strange silhouette. I never get the chance to find out what’s there because it abruptly moves away.

“She’s awake.”The voice sounded muffled in my brain; people seemed to be talking but that’s all I can get out of it. I don’t even know how many people are here... or where here is. Only now do I realise how much my head is throbbing, it feels like a caged animal trying to escape by ramming its head against the walls of my skull over and over again. 

“Somebody get her water.”

It’s that same voice from before, boyish yet deep and commanding. I hear some scuffling over the loud downpour, which I assume is someone running the errand. The shadow from before returns and seats itself a couple of feet in front of me.

“What’s your name kid?” 

My brain is doing cartwheels in my skull, I just can’t find the strength to answer the shadow. Instead I try to sit up. Hands grab my shoulders to help me up and I glance down in embarrassment. I want to murmur thanks but my voice continues to fail me. When I look up again I notice the world has become significantly less blurry.

Vines dangle down from the ceiling, there’s a group of armed men standing a few feet away from me. Behind them is an open door, there’s heavy rain outside that doesn’t seem like it’ll stop anytime soon. To my sides are cream coloured cushions, soft and comfortable, and in front of me... I shriek but it comes out as a weak moan. 

The shadow in front of me chuckles lightly and takes off it’s helmet. Upon seeing a human I calm down. He kneels down in front of me, I assume it’s to appear less intimidating. I study the man’s face; tanned skin, russet brown eyes, thin face with a proportioned nose and muddy blonde hair that falls in his face with an under cut. 

He raises an eyebrow at me and I have no idea what to say.

“What’s your name?” he repeats in an annoyed tone.

“I-“ my voice is croaky and I begin to wonder just how long I’ve been asleep. I cough. 

“Well?” 

“A-Asher,” I manage to squeak out. 

He grunts in acknowledgement and stands up. Almost as quickly as he left another man replaced him, this one bringing water. I gratefully take the flask from his hands and greedily gulp down as much as I can take. This man seems understanding and waits patiently.

“Don’t mind Briggs, he’s always like that, you’ll get used to it,” this man’s voice is soft, almost shy. I peer into hazel eyes and he gives me a gentle smile. He holds out a hand to help me up which I take gladly. I stumble a bit at first but the hazel-eyed boy steadies me.

I smile back to thank him, he seems to understand and nods. He steps back and I look around some more trying to figure out where I am, or better yet, how I got in this situation. I woke up in a strange location with no memory of how I got here or who I am. All I know is my name. Asher Anderson. No matter how hard I think nothing else sparks in my memories and all I get in reply is more pounding in my head.

“I’m Otto by the way. Otto Callan.”

I’m snapped out of my thoughts and I look at the man who helped me up. Brown hair curls around his ears and forehead, olive skin is complemented by darker freckles, his face is round and almost childish. The only thing that gives any hints to him being older than a teenager is his stocky build and towering height. Somehow these sets of odd features suits him. 

Out of the corner of my eye I notice the first man, Briggs, observing our conversation. When he notices me staring he looks away. I can’t read what he’s thinking; the man has a good poker face. I try to take my eyes off of the strange soldier and look back at Otto, but more people begin shoving themselves forwards trying to introduce themselves.

Too many voices. There’s too many voices and I sink back into the cushioned capsule I was in earlier. There’s one person I notice who hasn’t bothered to try to talk to me and I decide I already like him. He stands alone in the corner wearing a bored expression and looking dully at a knife, his long raven black hair reaches his shoulders and frames his pale face. 

People are still talking and I count six soldiers. How on Earth this many people can make so much sound is beyond me. A red head with blue eyes and a dark toned man stand closest to me with poor Otto squished between. My head starts screaming as does Briggs.

“Shut up, can’t you see she’s overwhelmed?” He growls. 

The soldiers quietened down and back off after that. I guess that Briggs is their commanding officer here, seeing as though everyone complied to his orders without hesitation. Otto glances at me with sympathy and mouths ‘sorry’. I smile slightly and shake my head. Once again I emerge from the capsule. There’s a broken glass door in front of it, to seal me in? I shiver at the claustrophobic thoughts that invade my head. I’m so lost in my mind that I don’t notice Briggs approaching me. A hand on my shoulder makes me squeak at the sudden contact.

“We’re leaving. Let’s go,” he says.

I blink at him, “go where?” I’m aware of how stupid I must sound to these men.

Briggs raises an eyebrow, silently questioning me.

Otto moves next to me, shielding me from his superior’s frightening glare, he wears a concerned look on his face, “do you know where you are?” 

I shake my head, a few strands of hair falls in my face, I brush it away but I immediately wish I hadn’t. Briggs has an amused smirk on his face. The other soldiers look at me with dumbfounded expressions, even the quiet raven-haired boy in the back seemed a little unnerved. I look past him to the outside world, it’s still raining so visibility is low.

“Earth?” I say, laughing nervously. Where else would I be? But the glances the soldiers exchange make me doubt my answer. 

Briggs is the first to break the silence. 

“Bravo Squad move out, we have to rendezvous with the general.”

“What about the girl?” the red-headed man asks.

“We’re leaving her here, Alec.”  
I choke back a squeal, “what!?” 

Briggs smirks and I want to punch that smug look off of his face. He rolls his eyes and beckons me, “come on, idiot.” 

I follow the soldiers as they file out of the cramped space. My head hangs low and I watch the footsteps of the person in front of me. The rhythm is almost soothing and I find myself getting lost in a trance. Right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot. I don’t notice the slight drop in the floor until I’m tumbling down onto whoever was unfortunate enough to stand below me.

Strong hands catch me and save me from falling face first into mud. 

“Falling for me already huh?” the man laughs. It was that curly red haired one from before; Alec. 

I laugh nervously and get out a little “thanks.” He winks and continues walking.

Flustered, I hurry up, trying my best to keep pace with the trained men. As I walk I take in my surroundings. Behind me is some sort of space craft, which is where we emerged from. I spot the little ledge I had fallen off, vines grow around the rusting entrance and I try to glance back inside of the ship but it’s far too dark. How did I even get there? How long have I been there?

I shrug the thoughts off, what matters is now; the present. My head swings back so I’m facing the front. There’s the sharp tang of rain in the air. All around me are strange plants, it vaguely resembles a tropical rainforest: tall towering trees curl and twist in odd shapes, their branches are covered in large purple-green leaves and thorns. Many small streams litter the ground, weaving through cracks in the black stony ground. Moss covers most of the surfaces and I have to walk with utmost care. 

I blink constantly to keep the rain out of my eyes. Ahead of me the soldiers are wearing their helmets again, lucky bastards. Their armour also keeps them from getting drenched. I pathetically try to shield my face with my hands, the rain is so heavy that visibility somehow becomes lower than before. 

I stumble as a large droplet splashes right in my eye and I stop for a second to blink it away. I immediately regret it because when I glance back up I’ve lost sight of Alec. I can’t see any further than a few metres before the foginess of the rain obscures my vision.

A low whine makes its way up the back of my throat and my heart speeds up. Somehow the rain gets even heavier; something that I didn’t think was even possible. Calm down Asher, think, you have a brain. 

But I feel as hopeless as a child. 

“O-Otto! Briggs?” I shout into the mist. 

My heart sinks when I get no reply. I feel my legs moving to sprint, running in the general direction of Bravo Squad. Water splashes on my ankles as I run, wetting my socks; I would care if every item of clothing I have wasn’t drenched already, besides I have more pressing matters to tend to. 

My face smacks into a solid object and I rub my aching nose. Alec turns around, I can feel his amused gaze on me despite it being hidden by his helmet. I blush in embarrassment and mutter out a small apology.

A distorted voice calls out to me up ahead, “Asher, walk in the middle.” Its muffled by a helmet and somewhat hard to hear in the rain, but I don’t miss the annoyed sigh in the middle of it. 

“Sorry Briggs.”

“Its Captain.”

“Sorry Captain.”

I can almost see the eye roll behind the mask. When he pauses I know he’s searching for some sort of witty comeback but he must’ve decided that there are more important things at hand; he turns around and leads Bravo Squad onwards. 

I quickly find myself falling into the rhythm. My footsteps sync with the person in front of me. I notice a flash of colour on the exposed forearm of the soldier and my eyes glance over it. Immediately I recognise the tattoo as a long winding dragon from Chinese mythology. I make a note in my mind to ask him about it later.

Along with that my brain begins to make other mental notes about the strange soldiers. Briggs is their leader, not too tall but he makes up for it in wit and aggression. Otto is a tank of a man and yet he’s gentle and kind-hearted. Alec is a gentleman, and as flirtatious as his hair is red. Then there’s the quiet brooding raven boy with dark hair who hasn’t said a word. The last two I don’t know much about, just one has a dragon tattoo and the other has dark skin and eyes.

I lost track of how long I’ve been walking somewhere between the fifth and sixth hours. When I look up again there’s suddenly a great looming wall which I’m sure wasn’t there before. It rises twenty feet above the forest floor, vines try to crawl up the side and bloom in between the cracks. There’s a faded yellow line thats partly chipped away at the top. I stretch my neck to try and get a glimpse of whats on the other side but the twisting trees rise higher than the wall and block my view. All I can hear is the deafening sound of rushing of water -like a waterfall- on the other side.

Bravo Squad hugs along the exterior of the concrete wall until Briggs finds an opening. My left hand slides along smooth indents, upon closer inspection I realise they are claw marks. The blemishes in the wall can be seen just eight feet from the top, I shiver at the thought of what could be behind those scratches. One by one the soldiers enter, I don’t get time to protest before I’m being shoved inside. Not that I was going to protest anyways.

I take a moment to shake the rain off me, but the men are off again. I stumble after them and huff. We walk through a long corridor that doesn’t seem to end. As far as the eye can see there’s just metal pipelines that fade into darkness. White lights flicker above and make a static zapping noise. I find myself moving closer to the dragon-tattooed man.

“How far?” I complain. 

“Other side of the spillway and we’re there,” Otto’s voice cheerily says behind me. 

“What spill- Oh.”

I hadn’t noticed Briggs had opened another door to the outside world, the rushing of water is even louder than when I was on the outside of the wall. The dragon man holds a heavy looking door opened between us. Slowly I push past him, he says nothing but I can see the cross shape of his helmet’s visor following my movements. He’s waiting for a reaction.

I stand outside on a metal balcony: like one of those ones people use as escape routes on the outside of hotels. The rain is much lighter now but still relentless. There’s small gaps in the floor that allow me to peer down into the three hundred metre drop.

“I hope you aren’t afraid of heights,” Briggs says nonchalantly beside me but I’m too focussed on my surroundings to reply.

The spillway is a large concrete river. Rain runs down the sides like mini waterfalls, it bounces off wide grooves in the walls before joining the rapids below. I crane my head upwards to look at the other side of the chasm; there’s another wall like the one we walked through although this one doesn’t have plants growing in it and seems to be well maintained. Beyond the wall are tall towers, each one glows blue around the top like an LED light and pulses every so often. 

My hands grips the wet railing and I lean slightly over the edge, I can see another balcony on the other side that mirrors the one we’re on. A sudden gust of wind knocks me off balance and I almost flip over the rails if it weren’t for an arm catching me by the waist. Briggs shoves me back away from the edge and into the wall so hard I get winded. I clench my fists and glare at him, but inside I know I really have no reason to be mad.

“Careful,” he murmured. 

Briggs takes off his helmet and shakes water out of his hair like a dog. Using his free hand he brushes the wet strands out of his face before handing me his helmet. I’m waiting for an explanation but he’s already talking to Otto.

“Guide her across the bridge, make sure she doesn’t fall.”

What bridge?

“Yes sir.”

Otto walks over to me, if I hadn’t already established that he was a kind person I’d back away. He leads me to the edge of the balcony, in front of the group. I stand still and smile when he looms over me, he takes Briggs helmet from my arms and places it on my head.

“It’ll help you see,” he explained.

I nod and blink a few times, trying to get used to the feeling. To my surprise it’s quite light. I look around the spillway again, there’s tiny faint lines that are almost too small to see. I realise that I’m not looking at the actual spillway but a holographic screen; four of them to be exact: one directly in front, one above and two on the sides that ends at my peripheral vision. The area is also much more lit up, colours become more vivid and easier to distinguish. In the top right corner of a screen there’s a heart beat but it’s too slow to be mine.

I turn my head back to face the captain, like everything else his face is much clearer. 

“Don’t you need this?” I ask.

Briggs shakes his head, “I’ve crossed the bridge many times without it.””What bridge?” I exclaim again, this time out loud.

“That one.”

A metal path emerges from within the two sides of the walls and meet in the middle. It spans the entire two hundred metre gap. Unlike the balcony the bridge is made from solid metal, there are blue pulsing lights, much like the ones on the towers, outlining each side. Also unlike the balcony there are no railings to cling onto. I’m glad I have a helmet to hide my unusually pale face. 

“Ladies first,” Alec’s voice rings smoothly behind me. Someone must’ve glared at him because he talks again, “what? I’m trying to be a gentleman, she’s the first female I’ve ever met.”

“Come on Ash,” Otto consoles, he gently holds onto my forearm and together we step down onto the bridge. In the corner of my eye I see the heart beat monitor speed up for a second but it quickly returns to its normal pace. I find myself clinging to Otto’s arm as we walk slowly. The bridge couldn’t be more than two metres wide, so he walks behind me. 

We make it to the other side with no mishaps and I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. We were followed closely by the dragon man, then Alec and two others. The six of us wait inside the other wall for their squad leader. Briggs is last to cross, he runs across with ease and does an unnecessary slide into the corridor where we wait. He hits a button and I get a glimpse of the bridge folding in before a door closes, shutting me off from the outside world. The sound of the man-made river is faint. 

The corridor is much like the last one, dark with dull flickering lights and seemingly endless. Briggs takes the lead again and we all run in unison after him. Our footsteps echo on the metal ground, it sounds hollow and I wonder what lies beneath my feet.

After a minute or two of running the men slow down. I stand at the back of the group, leaning against a cold pipe while desperately trying to catch my breath. I stretch my aching legs, it hurts so much that my previous headache feels like a gentle punch in comparison. A damp jacket hangs loosely around my waist, there’s a yellow waterproof jumpsuit that ends at my thighs and shoulders and under that is a pair of wet leggings. My arms are bare, small droplets trail down my forearm and I flick them off.

There’s little space for movement as the corridor is only a couple feet wide but Briggs pushes past his men and without saying a word, takes his helmet off my head. Immediately everything looks dim in comparison to the visors, I have to strain my eyes to get used to the new lighting. Briggs is already at the door again by the time my eyes are adjusted.

He places a gloved hand onto a scanner. A second goes by and a door opens, bright light floods through and I hold up an arm to shield my eyes. When I move it away I’m dumbfounded at the scene on the other side of the wall. Briggs crosses his arms and gives me a side ways glance.

“Welcome to Deluge.”


End file.
